When LaWanda Page was cast as Aunt Esther, the studio had low expectations. She had no formal TV training, no sitcom credits, and was mostly known for her raunchy stand-up routines.
Producers expected her character to be short-lived—one or two episodes, tops.
Then she walked into the studio, slapped Fred Sanford with a Bible, and delivered her famous line: “Watch it, sucker!”
The audience roared. Redd Foxx broke character from laughter. The take stayed in the episode—and LaWanda became a star overnight.
But what fans didn’t know is how hard she fought to stay. Critics told her she was “too loud” or “too over-the-top.” She didn’t care.
“I knew Esther,” she once said. “She was every church lady who ever gave me a whooping growing up.”
By season 3, Aunt Esther was a fan favorite. The woman who was supposed to be a one-off became a sitcom legend—and never let anyone forget it.
